Hi Everyone! Okay, this is your schedule for the course. You do not ever get to say to me "hey I didn't know we had homework due" or whatever because its all here for you from day one.
Please Note: Online classes take a serious amount of commitment from a student. You need to be aware of what is going on, you need to contact the teacher, and YOU need to know when things are due. I make a schedule like this so you can PLAN AHEAD. But I am not your mommy and I do not live in your house so YOU will need to be responsible for following the schedule, asking for help you when you need it, and keeping up with your work. Make a schedule and stick to it!! You need to treat this like a job. Do we sometimes not feel like going to work? Yes. Do we go anyway? Yes. Make a day for reading, days for posting, days for writing your answers, days for working on your research paper, etc. and just stick to it. You can do it!! I try to catch students who seem like they are in trouble but please note YOU are responsible for keeping up, and YOU are responsible for deciding if you are going to do the work, and YOU are responsible for dropping the class if you do not do anything. Please know that I can drop you for misconduct etc., but if you choose not to participate you are just going to get an F.
Remember I am FIRM on due dates unless there is a TRUE emergency. A true emergency consists of things like a relative died (and I mean like a grandma or an uncle, not my mother's third cousins' fourth ex husband whom I never met and am using the funeral as an excuse not to turn in my homework I didn't do). OR I was in a horrific car accident and my leg fell off and I am currently in surgery, but I sent Maia an emergency email as I was being wheeled into surgery even though I was squirting blood from my femoral artery and the nurse was trying to wrestle my laptop out of my hands. Please do not assume I will give you a make up and email me two days later with the homework and say "oh here it is cause so and so died". You email me BEFORE something is due and ask if you can turn it in late with the reason why. Telling me after is rude and I will know very likely not the truth. Do NOT assume I will say yes either.
Telling me things like "I forgot" I had discussion questions due, or "I had to work" is NOT an emergency and do not even bother trying to get me to accept an assignment. What am I saying? WORK AHEAD AND PAY ATTENTION TO DUE DATES! If there is a true emergency please email me BEFORE something is due and I will decide on a case by case basis if I will accept something late.
Please ASK QUESTIONS early. Telling me in the email that you did not understand question #4 when you turn in your homework will not get you an extension. But if you work ahead you are welcome to post questions or email me. And hey if you all want to discuss stuff on the message board before homework is due who am I to stop you! (hint hint).
Please do not give each other the answers, but you are more than welcome to gang together and help each other and plot on how to overthrow the evil overlord professor that is Maia...wait don't do that, but the other stuff you can do.
Also, as an FYI, I normally do not work weekends, as this is when I work on my Ph.D. So while I will respond to your homework submissions with a "got it" reply if you send it after noon on Friday, you will not get a response until Monday morning. If however you do not hear from me during the week within 24-48 business hours, please feel free to email me again.
Your grades will be emailed to you. Please BE SURE to password your email to ensure privacy. If you share an email or an apartment or whatever it is YOUR RESPONSIBILITY to password your email so that no one but you can see the results of your grades. I do not use blackboard for grades so that I can give you comments etc. to help you improve!
GOOD LUCK WITH THE CLASS EVERYONE!!
Week One: Feb 23-Feb 27
- Email the Professor at the BEGINNING of the week to say hi and provide her with your email address to be used in class . I will use blackboard to send mass messages so if you do not know your student email you need to figure it out. You can forward your student email to your preferred email. When you send me homework etc feel free to use your home email I always just hit "reply" on the individual emails so use the one you want your grades sent to! mcunningham@citruscollege.edu
- Log on to the message boards (we use blackboard for message boards ONLY) and send a practice message at the BEGINNING of the week (I recommend the 'introduce yourself' conference) Please see the student interaction button for specific directions on how to do this
- Register for the http://www.pearsoncustom.com/ca/citrus_anthro/ website that you will be using for assignments and research. If you purchased an online book you will need to go to there to log on to read your work from your book or to do research so bookmark this site and remember your log on and password! ( I made mine the same as wingspan so it helped me remember)
- Begin participating in class discussion using the message boards on blackboard. I will start you out by asking some questions but remember the class participation is YOUR responsibility. There are no right or wrong answers (except being respectful) so have at it! You might want to start with what you think sociology is or your reaction to the article I make you read this week!
- Sign up for Tapped in for chat this is a free service for you all. You are welcome to have chats to work together. Tapped in sends you transcripts of the chat. Send me a copy and anyone who fully participates in a half hour chat with their peers (chatting about homework, research etc.) gets 8 points of interaction (twice the normal of message board postings) I can also have chats with you and will offer them from time to time, please see announcements from the prof to see when. Go to student interaction link to figure out how to sign up for tapped in. Please DO NOT panic if you cannot chat you can earn all your interaction points including bonus with the message board.
- Read Chapter One and Two in the textbook
- Read the article at the following website: http://www.msu.edu/~jdowell/miner.html
- Watch the multimedia "George Ritzer" and " Symbolic Interaction" from the mysoclab website. Go to http://www.pearsoncustom.com/ca/citrus_anthro/ click on into to sociology, then log on, then go to "multimedia" that is where you will find little videos, powerpoints etc. Please note that sometimes I ask you to view something that is listed in a chapter we are not currently on so don't worry if they do not line up.
- Begin work on the mass media assignment by looking at different forms of media (please note right now the assignment says observation assignment. I"m trying to get it changed but it might take a while!)
- Begin exploring your resources including but not limited to the book's mysoclab website (I highly recommend "mysoclibrary"), our library, google scholar etc. for your research paper). Please do NOT use wikipedia. It is NOT an academic website and the materials are not checked or validated in any sort of academic way. You can use it in terms of an example of popular culture but not as a research too!!!!
- EMAIL MAIA WITH QUESTIONS. Its week one. It looks overwhelming, there may be some panic. Do NOT PANIC. Simply email me with questions, bond with your class mates, and we'll get through this together!
Week Two: Feb 28-Mar 6
- Read Chapter Three and Four in the textbook
- Participate in class discussion using the message boards you need to post AT LEAST two posts per week so that you will get your full grade plus bonus. Remember if you do not do this your grade will go down like you will not believe. Every semester I get someone who earns and A on all their materials but does not post and they end up with a C, or sometimes even lower. It is REQUIRED that you post so just do it, its not brain surgery, it doesn't hurt, you don't need to build a boat, JUST POST!
- Watch the multimedia "looking glass self" from the multimedia link on mysoclab
- Turn in Discussion Questions #1 by 11:00 pm Sunday March 6
Week Three: March 7-13
- Turn in Discussion Questions #2 by 11:00 p.m. Sunday March 13 (what no readings you say? they are part of the readings you already did!)
- Read "writing about sociology" from multimedia area of mysoclab to help start your research paper
- Participate in class discussion using the message boards focus this week on discussing your research paper ideas, how to research, how to write etc. you need to post at least 2 posts
- Turn in your topic idea for your research paper by 11:00 pm Sunday March 13. If you are stuck on what to write on, things like look at all the chapters in your text for ideas. Look at mysoclab online areas like mysoclibrary or resources. Past ideas included mass media and body image, gangs, child abuse, pop culture and its affects on education it can be ANYTHING as long as it is sociological. If you are still stuck list 2 or 3 that you are interested in and I will guide you. (Wait it can be anything BUT abortion. I have not met a person yet {including myself} who can remain neutral about abortion no matter what "side" you are on)
- Turn in your mass media example for approval by 11:00 pm Sunday March 13. See mass media directions for guidelines of what and how to pick
Week Four: March 14-20
- Read Chapter Five in the textbook
- Participate in class discussion using the message boards you need to post at least 2 posts
- Begin research of approved soc paper topic using the all the resources EXCEPT wikipedia. You are also welcome to use pop culture if it applies. For example if your topic is mass media and its influence on our body image I suspect you would want to use examples of mass media! :)
- Watch the multimedia "Milgrims experiment today" under multimedia on the mysocllab website
- Make note of any sociological concepts that fit in with your mass media example. For instance is your media topic a commercial selling floor cleaner? What can you look for, maybe gender...or ancestry...or social class...
Week Five: March 21-27
- Turn in Discussion Questions #3 by 11:00 p.m. Sunday March 27 (please note that discussion questions will focus on the week’s readings but may refer back to past readings as well)
- Participate in class discussion using the message boards and post at least twice
- Continue to work on soc research for research paper. Are you emailing your professor if you are stuck? Are you discussing your ideas on the message board to solicit help from your peers? Are you reaching out instead of huddled in a ball in the corner rocking slowly back and forth saying holy crap a research paper over and over in a tiny voice that would scare Jason from the Halloween movies?
- Make note of any sociological concepts that fit in with your mass media example
Week Six: March 28- April 3
- Read Chapter Six
- Participate in class discussion using the message boards post at least twice
- You should really have a good idea where your research paper is going by now and should be emailing me if you are struggling
- Still making notes of any sociological concepts that fit in with your mass media example
Week Seven: April 4-10
- Continue researching soc paper topic and noting terms etc. that fit with your paper and/or your mass media assignment
- Participate in class discussion using the message boards post at least twice
- Turn in Discussion Questions #4 by 11:00 p.m. Sunday April 10
Week Eight: April 11-17
- Read Chapter Eight
- Participate in class discussion using the message boards. You should be at least halfway through your required interaction by now. If you have not been posting you will not be able to get full credit but you can still get a lot so start posting and stay posting!!
- Continue to work on your research paper prepare for the detailed outline that is due next week, any style you want! I just need to see your main topics, your ideas, and the soc terms/theories you are going to use. If it morphs and changes for final paper that is ok!!! I'm just making sure you are on track. If you send it to me I'll not "grade" it but if I don't get one you get points off your final paper grade ok? :)
- Send me a few terms/theories/concepts that you will apply to your media assignment, same purpose as the research paper check :)
SPRING BREAK APRIL 18-24 NO CLASS!! I would take some time to work on your paper, work ahead, or get some sleep. I am going on a tiny vacation so I will check my email a couple of times but don't panic if you don't hear from me its vacation!!!!! Have fun! and a nice beverage!
Week Nine: April 25-May 1
- Continue research soc paper topic you should be deep into your topic by now and on the organization rough draft ready stage
- Turn in discussion questions #5 by 11:00 pm Sunday May 1
- Participate in class discussion using the message boards (again with the posting warning!)
- Turn in a detailed outline of research paper by 11:00 pm Sunday May 1(I do not care about the format and if you end up changing some things that is fine I just want to be sure you are on track)
Week Ten: May 5-8
- Read Chapter Nine and Ten
- Work on your research paper based on comments from your outline
- Continue to work on finding terms and concepts that fit in with your media assignment
- Participate in class discussion using the message boards
Week Eleven: May 9-15
- Turn in Discussion Questions #6 by 11:00 p.m. Sunday May 15
- Participate in class discussion using the message boards
- You should be finished with research and begin organizing your notes to being writing your paper
- Begin working on a rough draft of your mass media assignment
Week Twelve: May 16-22
- Read Chapter Twelve
- Participate in class discussions using the message boards
- You should have a draft of your research paper finished and be working on a fine tune (that is if you couldn’t figure out how to plot my death AND get away with it)
- You should also have a rough draft of your mass media assignment it is due next week
Week Thirteen: May 17-23
- Post on the message boards
- Turn in your Mass Media assignment by 11:00 pm Sunday May 23
- This is a light week so its a great time to really focus on the research paper. You should be at the rough draft phase. Also you can use the "read it out loud trick" many times our ideas seem great and we put them on paper but what we wrote is not what we think. Our brains can confuse us! So read your work outloud and you will catch anything that 'sounds funny' if you can't say it that way you can't write it that way
Week Fourteen: May 30-June 5
- Read Chapter Thirteen
- Turn in Discussion Questions #7 by 11:00 p.m. Sunday June 5
- Participate in class discussions using the message boards
- The research paper is due next week so it should be pretty much done at this point
Week Fifteen: June 6-12
- Participate in class discussions using the message boards
- Turn in Discussion Questions #8 by 11:00 p.m. Sunday June 12
Turn in your Research Paper by 11:00 p.m. WEDNESDAY JUNE 8 LATE PAPERS ARE NOT ACCEPTED FOR ANY REASON INCLUDING COMPUTER FAILURE SO DO NOT WAIT UNTIL 10:50 TO SEND THEM!!
Week Sixteen: June 13-17(finals week…eeee!!!)
- Finish up postings if you have anything else to say the board shuts down for grading 8:00 am Tuesday June 15
TA DA! You are done! Final grades will be emailed to you within 48 hours of completing the course. I have no control over when they get posted in admissions but they should appear as final grades somewhere midweek after our last week. Email me with questions and have a summer break and good luck getting classes!!